wild oats are native to eurasia and therefore native to here, as are so many of the plants we see growing like weeds around us. there is wild fennel along every roadside. fig trees pop up along every untended field and fencerow. i just passed two wild quince trees on my drive to the butcher. there is a neglected pomegranate tree on the way to joe’s school. and if you look across the landscape you will see the jagged silhouettes of almond trees. is it any wonder that a great cuisine sprang up out of a place that reminds you of food everywhere you look?

common wild oats (avena fatua )

autignac, languedoc, france